"The Resplendent Star" or "Baron's House"
A
superb residence built at the foot of the village of Sidi Bou Said in a park
overlooking the sea, by Baron Rodolphe d'Erlanger (1872-1932). It was occupied
and looted by German soldiers during World War II. Other damages were caused
when Allied soldiers were housed there. Today, it is owned by the Tunisian
state, which has turned it into a museum, with much of its original furniture,
including paintings by Rodolphe d'Erlanger, and a treasure chest supposed to
have belonged to Suleiman the Magnificent. The museum also houses the Center
for Arab and Mediterranean Music, which regularly holds concerts and exhibits a
superb historical collection of musical instruments.
